New Valentino Designer Prepares for Debut; Balenciaga Wows Critics Again

Valentino’s replacement, Alessandra Fachinetti.Photo: Getty Images

• Tomorrow Alessandra Fachinetti presents her first collection as the creative director of Valentino after the man himself retired earlier this year, making her “potentially, one of the most powerful women in the industry.” She invited Valentino to her show and calls her collection “Valentino … with a twist,” which she hopes will attract younger customers. [Telegraph]

• Balenciaga only became profitable in the past three years, but head designer Nicolas Ghesquiere’s collection presented in Paris yesterday continued to prove he thinks further into the future than most designers, making his “the label that other labels copy.” [Guardian]

• Cathy Horyn thought “nothing made sense” at Martin Margiela’s show but liked some of the raw-edged leather pieces in Yohji Yamamoto’s show, for which the designer himself sang on the soundtrack. [NYT}